De Lima files bill seeking insurance, hazard pay for journalists

A measure has been filed by House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima requiring media entities to provide additional insurance coverage and tax-free hazard pay to employees on field assignments, online workers, and freelance journalists.

House Bill No. 7292, or the “Journalists’ Welfare and Protection Act,” introduced by De Lima, seeks to establish a framework and system of protection for the welfare of journalists and media employees whose working conditions remain challenging.

The Bicolana solon said journalists continue to be targets of threats and killings, harassment, and red-tagging, while also suffering from economic insecurity and job losses.

“In an era when the role of a free, independent mass media has never been more central to democracy and to our quest for truth, the rule of law, human rights, and public accountability, it is very unfortunate that the working conditions of journalists remain insecure, underprotected, and undervalued,” De Lima said.

“Journalism is a noble profession of public service. They face the risks associated with their work with a sense of duty to the Filipino people. Nararapat lang na ibigay sa kanila ang deserve nilang mga karagdagang benepisyo,” she added.

The additional insurance benefits outlined in HB 7292 include:

(1) disability benefits of P350,000 for all mass media practitioners who suffer total or partial disability, whether permanent or temporary, as a result of any injury sustained in the performance of duty;

(2) death benefits amounting to P300,000 for mass media practitioners and employees on field assignment who perish in the line of duty;

(3) reimbursement of actual medical costs of up to P200,000 for practitioners and employees on field assignments who are hospitalized or require medical attention for injuries sustained in the performance of duty; and

(4) reimbursement of actual costs of diagnosis, psychiatric or psychological treatment, counseling, and prescribed medication of up to P200,000 for practitioners and employees who, due to exposure to traumatic, distressing, or hazardous events in the performance of duty, suffer psychological or mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, or related trauma-induced conditions.

Under the proposed measure, freelance journalists shall be covered by a special insurance program to be created by the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

These agencies shall offer freelance journalists the opportunity to secure supplementary insurance coverage before working in war zones or difficult areas.

The insurance shall cover the loss, theft, damage, or destruction of professional equipment arising from coverage or assignment in conflict, difficult, or disaster areas; accidents, violence, or natural hazards encountered during fieldwork; and other risks incidental to the lawful exercise of journalistic functions.

The bill also provides that journalists, media employees on field assignments, and freelance journalists deployed in difficult, conflict, disaster, and disease-stricken areas shall receive tax-free hazard pay equivalent to P500 per day or 25 percent of their gross monthly basic salary, whichever is higher, for the duration of such deployment.

“It is imperative that journalists be provided with adequate support and protection to create a work environment where they can effectively perform their crucial duties,” De Lima said.

She added that the bill, along with other related interventions, aims to strengthen journalism as a profession and uphold the commitment that journalists should no longer work in fear, precarity, or any form of insecurity. said.

She said that with the bill and other related interventions, it aimed to strengthen journalism as a profession, honoring our commitment that journalists should no longer work in fear, precarity, or any other form of insecurity.